Burr on Ruger SA Cylinder Ratchet

One of my Vaqs, which I recently fitted with a new SBH hammer, is slightly out of time on one cylinder. Instead of going to full cock then having the cylinder latch engage, it is slightly in reverse - latch pops up then full cock. Oddly, it does not do this with the original Vaq hammer.

Since it is only one cylinder, I took the cylinder out for inspection and, yes, there is a small but visible burr on the related ratchet tooth. (There must be some very minor dimension difference between the original Vaq hammer and the replacement SBH hammer.)

I believe that the solution is to get out my finest stone and extremely carefully remove the elevated portion of the burr without altering the dimensions of the tooth.

given that everything else is equal,i would say yes.if in fact that is the only difference than it would seem to be the place to start.depending on how much time you want to spend on this,to a few passes and check to see if it is getting better,if so keep going.i would like to hear from other smiths more in tune with wheel guns to make sure i am not leading you down the wrong path.good luck.

JNewell

January 11, 2005, 07:46 PM

Took care of the burr tonight. I worked under a magnifying glass to keep angles correct and used a white ceramic stone, very fine. I doubt I took off more than half a thousandth, but it made all the difference and all is well now - mission completed. It is a little surprising how such a tiny amount of metal can translate, through the leverage of the lockwork, to a noticeable number of degrees of hammer travel when cocking the hammer.

simmonsguns

January 12, 2005, 06:43 PM

it does not take much when you are dealing with mecanical movement,levers and pivot points.from past experance,it is best to take a little longer on one thing than to have to replace a part,that is why the cost of repair can be high.good going.

JNewell

January 12, 2005, 08:35 PM

Amen to that. Figured there was no penalty for slow and it beats heck out of writing a letter that starts: "Dear Mr. Ruger..." :uhoh: